Monday, May 26, 2008

Ultrasound results and a building update...

According to the ultrasound viewing last Thrursday, I am measuring six days farther along than I should be. But since that's an acceptable variation, they are not changing my due date. So we're still shooting for December 6th.

In other exciting news, the house is progressing in leaps and bounds. Here are some photos that were taken today:



What's gonna work? TEAMWORK!



That brown sweaty hunk on the scaffolding is my dearest Jeremy, building a big beautiful house for his family.







When you take into account that 8 days ago I said that they would START the subflooring, this is super duper uber fast! He said that they may be working on the second level flooring tomorow. I'm still trying to stay calm until it's completed; I wouldn't want him to think that I'm unaapreciative of the work that he's doing by rushing him to finish it by next week ;)

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Drive by update....

Last month we went from three goats to five goats when two kids were born. This past weekend another kid arrived and I bought a milk goat. So that makes seven, two bucks and five does.

Elizabeth and Abigail have two days left of school. Their program that they've been practicing for all month is Tuesday evening. I can hardly wait to see it and it will be so nice not fighting with them every morning to get up/dressed/in the car. I think that they might have been on time about thirty mornings out of 180. It's just IMPOSSIBLE to get two very dramatic girls and two very sleepy boys to all cooperate every morning. Somebody ALWAYS makes us late... and the culprit changes from day to day.

I have an ultrasound appointment on Thursday. I think it's the "let's see if you are as far along as you think you are" ultrasound. I know of several family members that are hoping that we'll be seeing double. Even the kids have jumped on the "hoping for twins" bandwagon.

Took the girls to see Prince Caspian today after church. They seemed to enjoy it although Elizabeth was quite figity according to her daddy. Toward the end of the movie Abigail leaned over to me and whispered "this movie is breaking of my heart!" And of course we left the theater counting down the days to the next in the series. May 2010 ... what a wait!

The foundation is being finished tomorrow and then they start on the subflooring. Jeremy is estimating the house could be finished as early as the middle of June and as late as September.

Patience has never been mine ... Lord grant me patience to wait for these things that are so worth waiting for!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Pappaw

Heather at Oh My Stinkin' Heck has requested stories about grandpas and since my Pappaw was my most beloved and favored grandparent, I ended up with an essay:

My daddy's dad was a very quiet man. Nanny and Pappaw would come pick me up for visits. They would keep me for days and days until my parents missed me enough to come fetch me. I can remember standing on the little stool in the bathroom next to him in the evening; he'd take out his teeth to brush them, and I'd pretend to take out mine, scrubbing the space between my thumb and fingers. I still have that little stool and even the little green toothbursh. On those nights at their house, I slept on a little cot in Pappaw's room, even though Nanny had twin beds in her room.

My Pappaw could make anything: doll houses, furniture, little old fashioned doll desks for certain little girls that desperately wanted to play school, even taking the time to measure the specific doll to make sure that she would fit in the desks.

He read his Bible everyday, slowly making his way through it again and again, year after year. My parents have his Bible, with the small slip of paper on which he recorded each time he finished reading it, only to start over at the beginning again.

He always said Grace in a very quietly mumbled voice. I don't think I ever understood what he was saying but I'll bet God did.

He was a farmer. We'd walk together and feed the chickens, turkeys, geese. He never seemed to mind this litte tag-along. And he always smelled like Old Spice.

Then we moved "a million miles away" when I was five, and I only got to see him maybe once a year.

Once when we were visiting, everyone was going to the state fair except Pappaw... until I asked him to take me. On another visit, I wanted to go fishing so he showed me where to find the big worms, walked back to the pond with me and watched as I tried in vain to catch that big fish. He had Nanny cook the three teeny tiny little fishes that I did catch; and because she cooked them, we ate them.

I think that if I asked, he would have done anything for me, made anything for me. I don't know if this was special treatment just for me or if he treated all the grandkids like this, but I don't think I want to know. It's kinda nice to feel like you might have been your favorite's favorite.

The last time I saw my Pappaw, I was a newlywed and he and Nanny were in a hospital-type nursing home. Pappaw was strapped to his wheelchair to prevent injury and his memories were mostly gone. He held my mother's hand, and occaisionally he would bring it up to kiss the back of it. In his confused mind he was still a ladies' man; even asked us "Are you girls looking for some guys?" It was sorta cute yet very sad. He quietly talked about how he needed to get home and let the cows out. I was given the bedroom suite that he made, along with a cedar chest and a painting of his horse and dog from sometime in the 1960's. I hope I have them always and can pass them on to my children; they are so valuable to me.

A few years later he passed away, but to me, he'd already been gone for a while. I missed him before he was gone. I wish my kids had the chance to meet him, spend time with him; I wish that he'd been able to meet and quietly dote on them the way he'd doted on me.

My parents only live about thirty minutes away and I take them to see my momma and daddy as often as I can. Because I want them to have fond memories of their own Granny and Pappaw.